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Plaxico Burress Shoots Himself Accidentally

Plaxico Burress on the sideline during a basketball game at Madison Square Garden in November.Credit
Nick Laham/Getty Images

Giants receiver Plaxico Burress accidentally shot himself in the right thigh while at a Manhattan nightclub early Saturday, hours after he was deemed unfit to play in Sunday’s game at Washington because of a hamstring strain in the same leg.

Burress, who was with his teammate Antonio Pierce, was released from a New York City hospital Saturday afternoon and was staying at his home in Totowa, N.J. It was unclear how long the injury, which pierced skin and muscle tissue but avoided any bone or artery, would keep Burress out of the lineup.

“Obviously, our primary concern is for Plaxico’s health and well-being,” the Giants said in a statement released by Pat Hanlon, the team’s vice president for communications, “and given the circumstances, we are relieved to say he was released from a New York City hospital at approximately 2 p.m. today.”

Giants tight end Kevin Boss, interviewed on television reports Saturday, said, “We’re definitely concerned and thinking about him, but we heard that he’ll be all right, so that’s a big relief for us.”

The Giants added: “We have been in touch with N.F.L. security on this matter. At this point, we are attempting to gather all the facts surrounding this incident. This incident could become a matter for law enforcement officials, and because of that, we have no comment on any of the details.”

The N.F.L. spokesman Greg Aiello said that the league was “working with the Giants to determine the facts.” He added that it was too early to know whether Burress could face penalties for violating the league’s personal-conduct policy.

The shooting, which was first reported by FoxSports.com, took place at the Latin Quarter nightclub on Lexington Avenue at 48th Street, blocks from the N.F.L.’s headquarters on Park Avenue.

Without releasing the name of the subject of their investigation, the police said the man who was shot went to New York-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell hospital on York Avenue by private means, accompanied by a man and a woman. The woman identified herself to hospital authorities as the wife of the man who had been shot, the police said.

The police said the man had a gunshot wound from an apparently accidental shooting in his right thigh. He was released from the hospital Saturday afternoon.

The police said they sent detectives to the man’s home but were unable to speak with him. The man’s wife said, “You cannot talk to my husband” and “you can’t come in,” according to the police.

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The club reopened Saturday shortly before midnight. The police said that they were still trying to speak to someone in the club who had witnessed the incident, and they added that they had the names of at least two other Giants players who were believed to be at the club, though they did not disclose their names. Pierce is apparently one of those players.

Investigators said the incident took place in a small alcove between the foot of the stairs, which lead down from the entrance on Lexington Avenue, and the VIP room, which is near an elevator bank. The VIP room is roughly 30 feet by 12 feet, with a glass wall that separates it from the rest of the club, which is a horseshoe-shaped room with a bar. Metal detectors were situated near the foot of the stairs.

It was unclear what led to the gun’s discharge. There were no reports of any fights inside the club before the shooting. The police did not say whether any charges would be filed, but they noted that felony charges were possible if a person possessed a loaded, unlicensed handgun in a place other than his residence or business. It was not known if he had a permit to carry a concealed weapon. Under the league’s personal-conduct policy, violations of local gun laws can result in a player’s suspension.

Burress did not practice for the 10-1 Giants last week because of the hamstring injury, sustained in a game against Baltimore on Nov. 16. He aggravated the injury last Sunday at Arizona. It is the latest controversy involving Burress, who signed a five-year, $35 million contract with the Giants just before the season opener. He was suspended for 12 days, including a victory over Seattle, because he missed meetings without explanation.

Against San Francisco on Oct. 19, Burress shouted at Coach Tom Coughlin on the sideline after drawing an unsportsmanlike-conduct penalty. The N.F.L. fined Burress $45,000 for verbally abusing the officials.

Coughlin held him out of the first quarter of the Oct. 26 game against the Steelers because he missed treatment on a neck and shoulder injury the day before.

Burress, 31, has shrugged off past problems with little contrition, often describing his job as little more than catching passes, not being a team leader.

The Giants and Coughlin, not known for his tolerance of players who attract negative attention, have handled Burress with unusual patience. Burress has admitted to losing count of the fines he has incurred for team violations over the years, but his easygoing personality and production have helped his relationship with the franchise.

Last year, newly married to his wife, Tiffany, with a young son, Burress fought off an ankle injury to lead the team with 70 receptions (for 1,025 yards) and 12 touchdowns. But signs of fissures with the organization were evident after the Giants’ victory in the Super Bowl, in which he caught the winning touchdown pass against the Patriots. Burress did not participate in the ticker-tape parade, and he skipped a June minicamp because of a contract dispute.